Guest on Paul Finebaum Show predicts Florida State will beat Alabama

Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher called the ACC the best football conference in the country at ACC Media Days. Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi says Fisher and the Seminoles will back up that talk in their Week 1 matchup.

Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday, Bianchi predicted that Florida State will beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"Florida State is going to go to Atlanta & beat Alabama" – @BianchiWrites

That’s a bold statement considering Alabama’s record in recent neutral-site games to open the season.

Since 2012, the Crimson Tide have faced Michigan, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and USC on a neutral field in Week 1. Not only did Alabama win all five games, Nick Saban’s squad dominated most of the time, outscoring those opponents by a combined score of 196-70. Last season, Alabama beat USC 52-6.

Of course, this Florida State team might be better than any of those other Bama opponents. The Seminoles were selected to win the ACC over defending champion Clemson and qualify for the College Football Playoff.

It’s quite possible that even if Florida State beats Alabama in September, it would have to knock off the Crimson Tide a second time in order to win the national championship.